If you regularly visit the ocean shoreline you will see that many shorebirds and seabirds fly faster than oystercatchers. Most waterfowl fly at speeds of 40 to 60 mph, with many species averaging roughly 50 mph.
The fastest duck ever recorded was a red-breasted merganser that attained a top airspeed of 100 mph while being pursued by an airplane. This eclipsed the previous speed record held by a canvasback clocked at 72 mph. Blue-winged and green-winged teal, thought by many hunters to be the fastest ducks, are actually among the slowest, having a typical flight speed of only 30 mph.
Oystercatchers have an average flight speed of 29 mph.
Oystercatchers do not have a double pupil: A black pupil is centered in the yellow iris, occasionally accompanied by an additional black eye fleck more notably prominent in females.
